The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Thursday adjourned former Governor Yahaya Bello’s arraignment until June 27.

Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the date after counsel for the ex-governor, Adeola Adedipe, informed the court that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s lead counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, earlier informed the defence team that today’s proceeding would not be convenient.

When the matter was called, Mr Adedipe, who was in court for another matter, expressed surprise that an EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, was actually in court after the two parties agreed that junior lawyers would be sent to pick a new date at Mr Pinheiro’s instance.

He said it seemed there was a misalignment between Messrs Pinheiro and Oyedepo.

He said Mr Pinheiro approached the defence lead lawyer, Abdulwahab Mohammed, in his office through a junior lawyer who also appeared in court alongside Mr Oyedepo, saying that today’s hearing would not be convenient for them to proceed.

He said, “And as senior counsel, it was best agreed by way of convenience for another date. It was agreed administratively that junior lawyers be sent to court today to formally take a date as agreed by parties for June 27. I personally also approached the registry to confirm this information and it was confirmed to me.

“That was why I told the court that my appearance today is for another matter. What the prosecution has done this morning is an ambush to bring the defendant once again to the realms of social media.”

He insisted that it was at Pehinro’s behest that the matter be adjourned until June 27 for arraignment.

He said that, but for the EFCC’s decision to seek an adjournment to a future date for his arraignment, the ex-Kogi governor would have been ready to appear in court today.

“Under 266 of ACJA, there are instances when defendants don’t need to come and this is one of them. We came here to pick a date. Of what use will the defendant coming here be? It is the prosecuting counsel that approached us, we did not approach them. We have nothing to hide,” Mr Adedipe said.

Responding, Mr Oyedepo disagreed with Mr Adedipe.

He said he was unaware of any meeting between their lead counsel and the defence. However, a senior lawyer, Simon Lough, who came for another matter, stood up to intervene.

He said it was unnecessary for senior counsel to attack each other in court on a simple matter. Mr Lough said since Mr Adedipe had explained why the defendant was not in court, a new date should be agreed upon.

Mr Lough said that at the new date, the court could inquire about what transpired from the prosecution’s lead counsel. He advised the lawyers to stop the argument to save time.

The judge adjourned the case until June 27 on the agreement of counsel after an undertaking that the defendant would appear on the next adjourned day.

Diplomats said on Thursday, the first day of the G7 summit in Italy, that G7 states have agreed to lend Ukraine $50 billion using money generated from frozen Russian state assets.

War-ravaged Ukraine will use the loan package to strengthen its military defence against Russia, pay for the reconstruction of infrastructure, and fund Ukraine’s state budget.

The U.S. government says around $280 billion of Russian central bank money has been immobilised in Western countries due to sanctions imposed since the full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine more than two years ago.

The bulk of the money is within the European Union.

The bloc’s member states recently approved using interest income generated from Russian state assets to finance aid for Ukraine.

The Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear, by far the largest holder of frozen Russian central bank assets in the EU, recently said that it had collected around $4.7 billion in interest in 2023.

Planning for the structure of the loan package has been underway for months.

The United States had originally campaigned in favour of collecting not only the interest income but also the frozen assets themselves and using them to provide financial support to Kyiv.

Some European capitals, however, had major reservations about this.

G7 leaders are meeting for a summit in southern Italy from Thursday to Saturday.

The Senate on Tuesday adjourned plenary session to July 2, 2024.

The development is to enable the lawmakers to participate in the activities marking the 2024 Democracy Day as well as its end of session break.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this during Tuesday’s plenary session.

The 10th National Assembly will be one year in office on Thursday, June 13.

Prior to the announcement, the Senate passed a total sum of N1.911 trillion as the 2024 statutory budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

The Senate approved the budget after considering the report of its committee on NDDC during plenary.

The Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) has elected new executives to run its affairs, after 11 years under a caretaker arrangement.

The election which held at the NUJ press Centre, Kano, on Saturday, saw the emergence of Muhammad Bello, the Chief Executive of African Center For Innovative Research and Development, as the new President of the Forum.

Bello polled 56 votes out of a total of 60 votes cast by members of the Forum, defeating Ibrahim Wayya, a former Caretaker President, who got only two votes.

In his speech after the election, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Hamisu Sharifai, explained that a total of seven positions were returned unopposed, seven were contested for and one, Assistant Financial Secretary, was adopted by the Congress, making a total of 15 members of the EXCO.

Fatima Musa, the Chief Operations Officer, Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, was returned as Vice President-1, while Kabiru Ibrahim was elected Vice President-2.

Salisu Yusuf, who is the Chairman of Kano Social Protection Platform, was elected Secretary General, and Aminu Sani Muhammad was returned as Assistant Secretary General.

Other elected officials include Maryam Garba, Treasurer, and Umar Musa, Legal Adviser.

In his address after the election, the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Forum, Prof Muhammad Tabiu, SAN, also a one time Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, commended the election process and congratulated members of the Forum for their active participation.

Tabiu urged the newly-elected officers to be dedicated to the progress and development of the Forum, especially in view of the current economic downturn in the country.

In his acceptance speech, the newly-elected chairman thanked the Forum for giving him the mandate and appealed for synergy among members to move the Forum forward for the betterment of the society.

The elected executives would serve as EXCO officials of the Forum for the next two years.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr Nkiruka Maduekwe as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on Climate Change, in an interim capacity, pending confirmation of her appointment by the Supervisory Council of the NCCC.

The President, according to a State House press release signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Sunday, has also approved Dr Maduekwe, 39, to serve as the Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan.

According to the release, she holds a Bachelor of Law degree; a Master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from the University of Dundee (UK), and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Hull (UK), as well as over 15 years of national and international experience in climate policy development and project implementation.

Dr Maduekwe also previously served as Nigeria’s National Coordinator, Climate Parliament, an international, multi-partisan network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy and was also the legal adviser to the NCCC Director-General.

The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng, 40, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Finance & Stakeholder Engagement, in the Office of the President. He is seconded to the NCCC Secretariat, where he will handle all matters related to Climate Finance & Stakeholder/Donor Relations.

Shelleng would also assume the position of Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP) and serve as a member of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions, and the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has served in leading roles across multiple financial institutions, and was Head of Business Development for the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company PLC before he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President.

President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Olamide Fagbuji, 44, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Office of the President. He is seconded to the NCCC Secretariat, where he will oversee the digitalization of a new open procurement process and cross-departmental procedural optimization initiative.

Fagbuji served as Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters under the previous administration and was most recently the Technical Adviser to the Director-General of the NCCC on Policy Research and Strategy. He is a policy analyst and computer scientist.

Ngelale stated that by the directive of the President, the appointments would take immediate effect.

“The President expects the new appointees to bring their expertise and discipline to bear in these very important assignments in pursuance of the nation’s aspiration on green industrial development and climate action for sustainable growth and national prosperity, ” he added.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bode George on Friday said President Bola Tinubu used his first year in office to understudy the failures of the past administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

George, however, expressed hope that Tinubu’s administration will correct the lapses of Buhari’s administration and fix Nigeria in the next year.

The PDP chieftain spoke while appearing on Arise TV programme, The Morning Show.

George acknowledged that Tinubu’s lack of prior experience in the presidency warrants a grace period.

According to George, former President Olusegun Obasanjo needed time to adjust in his first year in office.

“Tinubu had never served at that level (presidency). Well… you will say he was part of the party (APC) that formed the government (of Muhammadu Buhari), but it’s a hell of a different thing taking over and now leading the team.

“To be fair to my conscience, he has had that one-year holiday of trying to study the failures of the past administration. I have given him that one year of grace because now he has seen it and lived there.

“I expect his ministers to have come back in one year with those areas of lapses. Even when Baba (Olusegun Obasanjo became president in 1999, he was still trying to figure out what happened there or vise-versa in his first year. Let’s give him more time,” he said.

Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau on Wednesday strongly opposed a bill for an act to establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission, which was sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam, from Benue State.

Barau said the bill, if allowed and passed into law, was targeted at relocating Fulani herders wherever they are to their various states of origin, which will be absolutely difficult as they may not know where they came from.

The concerned lawmaker maintained that the bill was in breach of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, particularly in regard to choice of residence, insisting that nobody should be denied where they chose to live.

Barau stoked heated debate as he expressed rejection, but was the lone voice as other Senators who contributed to the bill welcomed the development.

According to him, he benefited from living in a place that was not his place of origin, hence, Fulani herders in any part of the country should be allowed to live wherever they chose to.

He said: “There is a snag in this bill, there is a problem because you cannot stop any Nigerian from living in any area that he so wishes.

“The relevant section of the constitution has been read. I saw something just a few days ago: Senator Natasha visited a Fulani settlement in her senatorial zone. Those people do not have any home except that place. They have been there for so long. They have been part and parcel of that society.

“Now, to tell them to move to their state of origin, where is their state of origin?

“Now, for us as political leaders, I would like you to look at that. Who is the current Senator of FCT? She is a Yoruba native, but she has won the election here. Nobody told her to return to her state.

“I won my first election in Tarauni Federal Constituency to the House of Representatives in 1999 from Kano Central, but I am from Kano North. Nobody told me to go back to Kano North, so why do we now tell herders to go back to their states of origin?

“My friend Zam understands that this is not in consonance with our constitution; your bill is good. I like this bill, but this aspect should be removed. We should remove it. I advise my friend Senator Zam to stand this bill down for a consultation, for better drafting, so that it goes in consonance with our constitution.

“Mr President, I will tell you some of these Fulanis, if you ask them where their state of origin is, they have even forgotten; they look at themselves as Nigerians.

“We should address the issue to reflect wherever someone is, it’s his place, and he can do his business there. So, Mr President, I advise this bill to be stepped down for further consultation.”

Barau’s spirited effort to shut down the bill failed as majority of the lawmakers okayed the bill when Senate President, Godswill Akpabio put it to voice vote.

The bill having passed second reading was committed to the relevant Committee for public hearing.

Kaduna State House of Assembly has recommended that the immediate-past governor of the state, Nasir el-Rufai, be prosecuted for alleged abuse of office and money laundering in his administration.

This was following the investigation of the ad-hoc committee set up by the House, led by Henry Zacharia.

According to the report submitted by Zacharia on Wednesday, most of the loans obtained under el-Rufai’s administration were not used for their intended purpose, and in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans.

The committee, therefore, recommended the investigation and prosecution of the ex-governor and some other indicted members of his cabinet by security and anti-corruption agencies for abuse of office through the award of contracts without due process, diversion of public funds, and money laundering.

Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has disowned a former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola.

Chairman of the party, Mr. Tajudeen Lawal disclosed this in a communiqué after a stakeholders’ meeting at the state secretariat in Osogbo on Tuesday.

According to the chairman, the former minister of interior had committed various anti-party activities, including forming groups that were working against the interest of the party.

He cautioned party members not to be deceived to register with the ex-governor because the group is not recognized by the party.

Corroborating the chairman, APC secretary in the state, Kamoru Alao, said the party’s electronic membership registration will start after National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje’s inauguration of the committee that will train the trainers at the local levels.

He said: “We are discouraging our members who are loyal party members not to register with Aregbesola’s group because Omoluabi as a group is not a member of our party in Osun state.

“Aregbesola, as far as we are concerned in Osun APC, he is no more a member of APC. We have taken steps three times to notify the national secretariat of the distractions from Aregbesola and we expect the national secretariat to do the needful.”

But the Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives, Abosede Oluwaseun dismissed the anti-party allegations leveled against Aregbesola, saying: “When Aregbesola left the affairs of APC to his successor, the structure of the party was intact but that cannot be said again years later.

“They have failed two times when they plotted to suspend Aregbesola in his ward in Ilesa East Local Government Area of Osun State.

“We are not distracted to reposition the party APC so that we can reclaim the state from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2026,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, met with the members of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

This comes after the organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, called off the strike for one week.

The committee members were in the Presidential Villa to discuss with Tinubu on the next line of action, following the promise to pay workers over N60,000 as minimum wage.

Those present include Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company limited, CEO NNPCL, Melee Kyari.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, also attended the meeting.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named the Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to Outer Northern Expressway, ONEX as Professor Wole Soyinka Highway.

Bayo Onanuga, a special adviser on Information and Strategy disclosed this in a statement through his official X handle.

According to him, the decision was due to Prof Soyinka’s contribution to African literature being the first to win the Nobel Literature Prize in Nigeria.

“President Tinubu has named the Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) as Professor Wole Soyinka Highway as recommended by the FCT administration. In naming the road after the distinguished playwright, poet and novelist who clocks 90 on 13 July, President Tinubu said Soyinka was the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize. He said Soyinka has brought honour and fame to Nigeria”, he said.

He added that the decision was recommended by the Federal Capital Territory Administration under Nyesom Wike.

Recall that FCT minister, Wike commissioned several roads in Abuja to mark President Tinubu’s first anniversary.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has alleged that desperate enemies of the state have thrown everything into the ring in an attempt to frustrate his administration from functioning effectively.

He stated this while speaking to the officials of the Standing Committee and members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt.

According to him, opposition elements in the state exhibited spirited efforts to sabotage his administration at every point in its determination to deliver good governance and quality services to the people.

The governor clarified that the present administration will not go into the completion of the monorail project initiated by the Chibuike Amaechi-led government, except a serious private sector investor decides to commit resources to the project under a well-defined private public partnership arrangement.

Fubara stressed that he would want to be remembered not just by the signature road projects of building legacy bridges and flyovers, but by sustainable impact on human capital and manpower development as well as other critical infrastructure landmarks to bridge the healthcare and education gaps in the state.

Governor Fubara listed attempts to scuttle the process of governance in the state to include the clandestine calls to some key speakers and prominent personalities invited to participate at the just-concluded Rivers Economic and Investment Summit not to associate with his administration, or participate in the programme designed to reposition the State for robust investments and progressive economic rejuvenation.

He said that it took the courage of some of the speakers and guests to honour the government and participate fully in the programme.

The governor also drew the editors’ attention to efforts to frustrate the revival and completion of the Port Harcourt International Automobile Spare Parts Trading and Commercial Centre just flagged off at Iriebe in Elelenwo, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area about a month ago by cajoling the previous contractors who had abandoned the project due to lack of support to sue the state government to court, to derail the project.

Prophet Bisi Olujobi of Wisdom Church Of Christ International has prophesied that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, will be fired and humbled out of office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Wike will not end his first tenure with Tinubu as he will be fired and this will bring an end to his political career in River State except he can pray very well,” he said.

Olujobi, who is the International President of Federation of League of Concerned Prophets of Nigeria, said this in a series of prophetic declarations he made available to reporters on Monday.

He also said that President Tinubu came in with the desire to change the evil narrative of the country, adding however that the President is spiritually and physically overwhelmed.

“He needed to be prayed for and encouraged constructively for him to achieve anything.

“Atiku’s name will echo strongly in the political landscape once more but the man may not achieve much from it,” he said.

He also said that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa will emerge victorious at the forthcoming Ondo State Gubernatorial Election, but added that the Governor needs to mend fences with the likes of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim and others.

He said Senator Monday Okpebholo will emerge winner in the September coming Edo State Governorship election, while his counterpart in PDP, Asue Ighodalo will come second.

“Professor Wole Soyinka should start preparing for a glorious home call.

“Many of President Tinubu’s cabinet members are saboteurs and conspirators; they will be kicked out in a matter of time,” he claimed.

Reno Omokri, a socio-political analyst, has accused former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili of committing treason and exhibiting a high level of irresponsibility.

Omokri said Ezekwesili showed bad example to Nigerian youths by backing those against reciting the old national anthem.

Recall that the former Minister had backed activist Aisha Yesufu for refusing to recite the old national anthem.

Yesufu who refused to stand up during the rendition of the old national anthem at an event, said Nigeria we hail the “NotMyNationalAnthem.”

Reacting, Ezekwesili backed Yesufu for her stance despite the backlash that trailed the activist action.

Condemning Ezekwesili’s action, Omokri posted on X: “Oby Ezekwesili is being very irresponsible and showing a very bad example to our youths by saying that the new National Anthem is #NotMyNationalAnthem, and she will not recognise it. That is simply an act of treason against Nigeria, especially as she encourages others to follow her example.

“I do NOT support the policy of changing a National Anthem written by a collective of Nigerians for one written by a foreigner. I think it is misguided and a relic of the colonial mentality that makes us subject to imperialism. I agree with Oby that the replaced anthem is better, in my opinion, than the new one.

“Nevertheless, I am a patriotic Nigerian. And until and unless people like me are able to persuade the Federal Government to see the wisdom in supporting a homegrown anthem over a foreign one, and revert to the Arise O Compatriots’ National Anthem of 1978, I will honour, respect, and stand up whenever the National Anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’ Is sung.

“I do not support the anthem, but I support Nigeria and, like every Nigerian, I took an oath to be faithful, loyal and honest to Nigeria. When we respect the National Anthem, we are not respecting President Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress. We are respecting Nigeria. If we pick and choose which laws to obey in Nigeria, according to our political affiliations, then Nigeria will dissolve into anarchy. Is that what Oby Ezekwesili wants?”

Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has backed activist Aisha Yesufu’s stance against the new national anthem “Nigeria we hail thee.”

Ezekwesili vowed never to sing the new national anthem because President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly breached the Nigerian constitution.

A video of Yesufu had surfaced online where she refused to recite the new national anthem.

Sharing the footage on social media, the activist wrote: “#NotMyNationalAnthem.”

Reacting, Ezekwesili vowed to continue singing the abolished version of the national anthem.

Posting on X, she wrote: “@AishaYesufu, Definitely #NotMyNationalAnthem as I already publicly conveyed.

“In my case, whenever and wherever the National Anthem is called for, I shall continue to sing #AriseOCompatriots as #MyNationalAnthem.

“The Lawmakers @nassnigeria and the @NGRPresident grievously breached the Constitutional provisions and process for amendment of legislation and therefore cannot foist another National Anthem on us.

“I refuse to join them in the Kangaroo Act of violating the Constitution.”

The lingering political crisis in Rivers State took a new turn on Friday following the announcement by Governor Siminalayi Fubara that his administration cancelled 10, 000 jobs in the State Civil Service approved by the immediate past government.

The employments were approved by his predecessor and the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

The governor during an interactive session with stakeholders in Port Harcourt, on Friday, stated that a fresh recruitment process would be carried out soon.

Before his tenure elapsed, Wike had approved the immediate employment of a significant number of youths, with the aim of filling the existing vacancies in the state’s workforce.

But Fubara said the process of the recruitment was flawed and compromised by those handling it.

The governor explained that when the names of those selected from the 23 local government areas of the state were scrutinized, they were people smuggled in for political patronage, saying they were over-aged.

“You will agree with me that when we subjected those names to proper scrutiny, most of those names, in fact, 60 per cent of those names were over-aged. They were names that people brought for political patronage.

“But what we are talking about today is employment for the future. I, personally after the analysis of those things, said ‘How will you employ somebody who is 52 years old as a civil servant?” Fubara queried.

The Kano State police command has commended residents for their peaceful behaviour as Emirs Muhammad Sanusi II and Aminu Bayero presided over Friday prayers simultaneously in Kano.

Both emirs are laying claim to the throne. While Governor Abba Yusuf reinstated Mr Sanisu, Mr Bayero is contesting his dethronement in court.

The city of Kano was predicted to witness clashes between the two parties’ supporters, with the police warning potential troublemakers to stay away from the state.

While Mr Sanusi led at the Central Mosque, Mr Bayero observed his prayers at the Nasarawa Palace.

The Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, told journalists in an interview on Friday that prayers were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere across the state’s 44 LGAs.

“I am very pleased with the orderly manner in which faithful residents conducted themselves before, during, and after the prayers without rancour in all parts of the state,” said Mr Gumel.

The commissioner praised residents for their cooperation with police personnel deployed in and outside the metropolis, which resulted in zero crime being recorded.

He appealed to residents to continue cooperating with the police to ensure peaceful coexistence in the state.

“This is a testament to the effective collaboration between law enforcement and the community.

“The police command looks forward to continued partnership in maintaining peace and order in the state,” he said.

The Anambra State House of Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill for a law to establish the state’s Independent Electoral Commission and for connected purposes.

The executive bill passed its second reading on Tuesday, May 28, after lawmakers made several contributions on the bill’s gains and its importance to the conduct of local government elections in the state.

The electoral law will be enacted on June 5, 2024, after the governor’s assent.

During Wednesday’s Plenary of the state House of Assembly, which was presided over by the Speaker, Somtochukwu Udeze, the state lawmakers resolved to the committee of the whole, where they took their turns going through the bill clause by clause, making necessary amendments and corrections.

Udeze, while reporting progress, commended the members for taking their time to do the needful and for contributing towards building a better Anambra State.

He said, “The bill when assented to, by the governor will set the ground for the executive arm to take steps towards the conduct of local government election in the state.”

After the session, the House, therefore, adjourned till Tuesday, June 4, 2024, for further legislative activities.

Speaking to journalists, the Deputy Speaker, Chukwuma Okoye, said the bill, no doubt will assist the working governor to conduct local government election which will in turn bring more development to all the 21 local government areas of the state.

Okoye, who represents Awka South constituency 2, said, “The state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has proven to be different from other politicians by promising and taken necessary steps towards conducting the grassroots election which have not been done in the state for a long period.”

Recall that it has been over 10 years that elections at the local government levels were held in Anambra State as the last one was held in the twilight of former Governor Peter Obi’s administration in 2014.

There has been widespread clamouring, especially from the opposition camps, for elections to be held at the 21 LGAs of the state, which have continuously been run through caretaker transition chairmen appointed by the state governor every three months.

A High Court sitting in Abuja, had last week, directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to invite and interrogate the relevant officers of the Anambra State Government regarding the deployment of funds received between March 22, 2022, and April 30, 2024.

The court banned the 21 LGAs in the state from receiving allocations from the consolidated revenue funds, pending the determination of a suit that was brought before it.

The ruling delivered by Justice Bello Kawo, restrained the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance from remitting funds to the 21 LGAs of Anambra State from the federation account.

It equally ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to probe how funds that accrued to the LGAs from March 2022 to April 2024, were deployed and used by the Anambra state government.

The orders followed an ex parte application that was filed by a legal practitioner, Mr Chukwuebuka Mmeni.

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has reiterated his support and commitment to the full functioning and optimal operations of local governments for holistic grassroots development.

Yahaya stated this on Wednesday while presenting brand-new Toyota Hilux vehicles to the 11 local government chairmen during a brief ceremony held at Government House, Gombe.

The vehicles were procured to support LGAs’ operations and ensure effective and efficient governance.

“These vehicles are not for leisure or luxury; they are for work. They are provided to support the operations of local governments, whose basic responsibility is to look after the welfare and well-being of the people at the grassroots,” he explained.

He urged the chairmen to use the vehicles to reach all nooks and crannies of their respective local governments to improve service delivery to the people, assuring continued monitoring of how resources are utilised for transparent and accountable governance.

“We shall not waver in monitoring how you spend your resources as well as how you implement projects that positively impact your people,” he said.

He called on the chairpersons to be proactive in generating revenue and delivering services to the people to complement the state government for all-inclusive growth and development.

Speaking further, the governor emphasised the constitutional role of local government as the third tier of government.

He said, “The state government alone cannot do it all. The constitution provides and allocates functions to local governments, which form the third tier of government and the closest to the people,” he explained.

Yahaya lamented the ineffective functioning of the LGAs, which he said is responsible for many development issues.

He noted that over time, most local governments abandoned their responsibilities, turning into salary-paying entities only, leaving the burden of providing essential services to the state government.

Yahaya, however, assured that his administration will continue to collaborate and support all local governments in the state, through joint projects development and other partnerships, to ensure they operate optimally for more holistic development.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Abdulkadir Muhammad, thanked the governor for always supporting local government administration and motivating the chairmen.

He stressed that the vehicles will go a long way in making work easier for the chairpersons and improving the overall efficiency of governance at the local government level.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman of Gombe LGA and ALGON Chairman, Sani Haruna, thanked the governor for always supporting them since their inception.

“The provision of these brand-new Toyota Hilux vehicles is a challenge to us. We promise never to let you down. We will maintain the vehicles and use them for the intended purpose, towards achieving your administration’s visions and missions,” he remarked.